Review of “Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell in Love,” by Lauren Tarshis
“Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell in Love,” by Lauren Tarshis is the wonderful sequel to “Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree.” In this second book of the series Emma-Jean will attempt to use her rational, scientific approach to unravel the mysteries of seventh grade romance.
Those readers who have already experienced “Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree” know Emma as a girl who is highly intelligent. She takes a logical approach to everything in life, but that technique doesn’t always work when she tries to understand the social dynamics of William Gladstone Middle School. The last time Emma tried to help a girl repair her friendship it led to great disaster, with the climax being Emma-Jean’s dramatic fall from a fairly large tree.
Fortunately, that problem has now been left far behind, and in its wake Emma-Jean finds herself in the surprising position of having friends: Colleen, Kaitlin, Valerie, and Michele. Of course with the upcoming Spring Fling, girl’s choice dance only weeks away Emma-Jeans friends are greatly concerned with the all-important question of which boy to invite.
Emma-Jean’s friends giggle and whisper as they discuss the merits of each prospective candidate. As Emma-Jean observes the boy’s lunchtime antics she has her own enlightening insights to offer on the subject: “They are trying to call attention to themselves. Adolescent males engage in conspicuous displays to attract the attention of females.” At first Emma-Jean takes a slightly distant, passive take on the Spring Fling dance, but all too soon it will sweep her away as well.
When Colleen finds a mysterious love note in her locker she asks Emma-Jean to track down her secret admirer. Although she is leery of causing trouble like she did last time, Emma-Jean accepts the job. However, if Emma-Jean is to explore the irrational landscape of seventh grade romance she will also discover the irrationality of her own heart.
“Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell in Love” is a beautiful book that I highly recommend. Lauren Tarshis has created a sequel that is every bit as good as its predecessor. As in the first book Emma-Jean’s logical analysis and profound statements provide a solid foundation on which Lauren Tashis builds her story. I am very impressed by the way she is able to switch back and forth between the voice and thoughts of Emma and those of Colleen. Lauren Tarshis avoids criticizing either unique viewpoint. Instead the emphasizes each girl’s respective qualities so that readers can appreciate both characters.
The book cover art for “Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell in Love” is very similar to the cover art for “Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree”. Both covers depict a piece of branch with a birds. However, the cover for book one featured one bird, while this second novel has two birds on it, and they are looking at each other. Perhaps this is meant to reflect the love that is part of the storyline. However, it makes me wonder what the next Emma-Jean Lazarus story will feature on its cover. Naturally I must assume that there will be yet another novel as Emma-Jean’s mother still has not married Vikram, their Indian boarder who cooks fantastic meals and is deeply in love with Emma-Jean’s mother. I assume that the third book will have three birds on its cover, representing Emma-Jean’s new family. A fourth book could also be written, with three birds and a nest when Emma-Jean’s parents have another child, a sibling for Emma-Jean.
But that is probably thinking way too far in the future. At any rate, the Emma-Jean series is a marvelous piece of literature, and it is my hope not only that Lauren Tarshis will continue to develop it, but also that all school age children get a chance to experience this writing masterpiece.
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